First New Corn Diseases Discovered in More Than 40 Years

Farmers could start to see the diseases in the next few month

For the first time in more than 40 years, researchers discovered two new diseases in corn. One is a fungus. The other is bacterial. A mild winter means both of them could turn up again in crops this season. Farmers might find these diseases on their leaves. At this point, they don't know that these diseases would affect production, but you'll see them on the leaves.

The "bacterial stripe" was found in Champaign County last fall. It's new to the state, but researchers say they've known it can affect other plants, like sorghum. Even though most farmers probably haven't even started planting, they could start to see the diseases in the next few months. To read more click here.